6 NEW BANDS: THE SLUDGELORD'S "666 PACK REVIEW" (THE 6(66) OF 2018)

By: Nikos Mixas

If you’ve been paying attention, the 666 PACK REVIEW is an abbreviated review column mostly focused on very new bands or bands that have submitted demo material to THE SLUDGELORD.  The basic premise is that 6 bands are critiqued using only 6 words and on a scale from 1 to 6(66).  What you see below is the best of the year 2018 for the 666 PACK REVIEW.  There were only 6 bands that received the highest of ratings so please go give them some love by revisiting their music and their web pages.  We at the THE SLUDGELORD hope great things come to them.  Congrats and hails to those bands that made the list!  

1). Estuary Blacks, “Estuary Blacks” (Swansea, Wales) (March)

Pelican meets Elder meets amber ale.   

2). Morpholith, “Void Emissions” (Reykjavík, Iceland) (April)

Really digging the vocals. Hails Iceland!

3). Magik Black, “Magik Black” (Nizhny Novgorod, Russia) (June)

Dumb name but shaddup and listen!

4). Ritual Earth, “Demo” (Philadelphia, U.S.A.) (September)

Shoe in for Psycho Las Vegas.

5). LMDA “Darkest Days and Rituals” (Strasbourg, France) (October)

Powerviolence, soundtrack to destroy things to. 

6). Vandampire, “You will be the bones” (London, United Kingdom) (November)

This is THE SLUDGELORD, you lost?

6 NEW BANDS: THE SLUDGELORD's "666 PACK REVIEW" (October 2018)

By: Nikos Mixas

 

It’s the October edition of THE SLUDGELORD’s “666 PACK REVIEW”!  There were a lot of great albums that came out this month by such SLUDGERLORD favorites as High on Fire, Windhand and Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats.  If those bands currently have your turntable preoccupied and you need a break for some great DIY auditions for THE SLUDGELORD, you’re in the right place!  If you’re new to this, each and every month we handpick 6 review submissions and critique them by only using 6 words, then we rate them on a scale from 1 to 666!  Check out our negative Nancy rating scale below: 

1 – We include your band and in this popular monthly column and this is all you got???  Try again.

2 – This isn’t the worst thing we’ve heard this month…it’s the 2^nd worse.      

3 – I like your band right now, but I’ll forget about you guys by tomorrow. 

4 – I would rate the new High on Fire a four, so the fact that you’re here isn’t too shabby.       

5 – And this would be my rating for the new Uncle Acid and Windhand albums.  Rejoice with your bandmates tonight and drink some gruel!  

666 – THE SLUDGELORD joins forces with The Great Pumpkin and agrees that this band deserves a 666 rating!!! 

Caveat:  Even though the “666 PACK REVIEW” is meant to offer humorous critique, there are no safe spaces here and your gripes will only make you sound like a bellyacher.  THE SLUDGELORD is a picky listener…and doesn’t care what you think of his opinions….

1). U-FOES “WHITEOUT” (Oslo, Norway)   Rating: 4

Icy and harsh, just like Norway.

2). LMDA “Darkest Days And Rituals” (Strasbourg, France)   Rating: 666!

Powerviolence, soundtrack to destroy things to.

3). MaxXout “The Big Push” (Pittsburgh, U.S.A.)   Rating: 2

If 80’s hard rock met Clutch.

4). Neon Burton “Neontology” (Cologne, Germany)   Rating: 3

See above but with Fu Manchu.

5). Electric Funeral “Death, Cult and Serpent” (Kuala Lumpur, Malayia)   Rating: 2

Mix is awful, vocalist is dying.

6). The Bateleurs “Immanent Fire” (Lisbon, Portugal)   Rating: 5

The Black Crowes with Frank Zappa??? 

Band info: U-FOES || LMDA || MaxXout || Neon Burton || Electric Funeral || The Bateleurs